On display by DuPont at NPE! Booth 2632, South Hall

DuPont Engineering Polymers is developing thermoplastic nanocomposites that promise to open new opportunities for design and production of parts delivering higher performance, lighter weight and/or increased molding productivity.

At the NPE 2006 plastics exhibition this week, Dr. Nandan Rao, vice president, technology for DuPont Performance Materials, announced that DuPont Engineering Polymers plans to introduce its first nanocomposites in 2007 and gave a preview of their potential benefits and underlying technology.

“Our new materials are based on advances flowing from our fundamental research on the behavior of nanomaterials in polymers. We are researching nanomaterials with unique properties and better ways to disperse them in polymers,” said Dr. Rao.

Thorough dispersion of nano-sized particles in the polymer matrix can produce exponential increases in the interfacial area between polymer and particles and a large interfacial area produces major improvements in mechanical properties, high-temperature performance, barrier properties and processing characteristics.

With proper dispersion, small amounts of a new DuPont nanomaterial called DNM in a polymer can produce substantial property improvements, according to Dr. Rao. He cited an example in which the addition of only 1.5 percent by weight of DNM in glass-reinforced PET material produced improvements in heat deflection temperature (HDT) of 10 to 15 degrees Celsius over typical glass-reinforced PET (see chart). The chart also shows the potential for combining DNM and glass fibers to produce composites with equivalent properties but that are lighter in weight than resins using only glass for reinforcement.

Dr. Rao also presented examples showing that small amounts of DNM can produce significant improvements in high-temperature creep resistance and in the stiffness-toughness balance of PET resins. He also said that, as with all new DuPont products, the company is committed to product safety and product stewardship.

DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.

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6/20/06

Click here and save to download a 150dpi JPEG image of the graph.

Caption:
Addition of just 1.5 percent of proprietary DuPont nanomaterial to glass-reinforced PET produces significant increases in heat deflection temperature (HDT).

High-resolution images are also available on line at plastics.dupont.com.

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